Musical Interactions in Gaming
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MUSICAL INTERACTIONS IN GAMING Interactive Qualifying Project Report completed in partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA Submitted to: Dr. Vincent J. Manzo, Advisor Submitted by: Andrew Strout Mark Foster Brian Harvey May 31 st , 2014 i ABSTRACT This study examined the effectiveness of a video game prototype designed to embody an informal learning approach in a musical context. A survey method was used to test the validity of the prototype as an engaging and accessible informal learning task. The results of the survey suggest that the prototype kept players’ interests and provided some accessibility to both musicians and non-musicians in terms of playability. ii AUTHORSHIP Abstract ……… Brian Harvey Introduction ……… Andrew Strout Background ……… Andrew Strout Methodology ……… Mark Foster Brian Harvey Andrew Strout Results and Analysis ……… Brian Harvey Conclusions and Recommendations ……… Mark Foster Formatting and Editing ……… Andrew Strout iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Authorship ................................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... iv Table of Figures ....................................................................................................................................... vi 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 2 Background ........................................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Video Games and Tutorials........................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Super Mario Bros. : Teaching through Level Design .................................................................... 5 2.3 Mega Man 3 : Teaching through Level Design ............................................................................. 8 2.4 Tutorials in the Modern Era ........................................................................................................ 10 2.5 Educational Games ..................................................................................................................... 14 2.6 Level Design and Testing ........................................................................................................... 15 3 Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 18 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 18 3.1.1 Goals ......................................................................................................................................... 18 3.1.2 Activities Overview .................................................................................................................. 19 3.2 Basic Interaction ......................................................................................................................... 19 3.2.1 Musical Actions ........................................................................................................................ 21 3.2.2 Musically Triggered Actions .................................................................................................... 21 3.3 Player Character .......................................................................................................................... 22 3.3.1 Appearance ............................................................................................................................... 22 3.3.2 Actions ...................................................................................................................................... 22 3.3.3 Customization ........................................................................................................................... 23 3.4 Activities Overview .................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.1 Ascending the Cliff ................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.2 The Chord Bridge ..................................................................................................................... 24 3.4.3 The Rhythm Bridge .................................................................................................................. 25 3.4.4 Previous Activities .................................................................................................................... 27 3.5 Additional Musical Interactions .................................................................................................. 28 3.5.1 Birds in a Tree .......................................................................................................................... 29 3.5.2 Songs Hidden in Level Architecture ......................................................................................... 29 3.5.3 NPC Humming/Whistling ........................................................................................................ 29 3.6 Activity Scripts ........................................................................................................................... 29 3.6.1 Ascending the Cliff Script ........................................................................................................ 29 iv 3.6.2 The Chord Bridge Script ........................................................................................................... 30 3.6.3 The Rhythm Bridge Script ........................................................................................................ 30 3.7 Survey ......................................................................................................................................... 31 4 Results and Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 34 4.1 Demo Completion ....................................................................................................................... 35 4.2 Activity Difficulties .................................................................................................................... 35 4.3 Control Scheme ........................................................................................................................... 36 5 Conclusions and Recommendations ................................................................................................... 38 5.1 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 38 5.1.1 Engaging the Player .................................................................................................................. 38 5.1.2 Accessibility ............................................................................................................................. 39 5.1.3 Completeness ............................................................................................................................ 40 5.2 Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 41 References ................................................................................................................................................... 42 Appendix A: Survey ................................................................................................................................... 43 Information ............................................................................................................................................. 43 Activities ................................................................................................................................................. 44 Scaling the Cliff ...................................................................................................................................... 44 Crossing the Bridge ................................................................................................................................. 45 Final Challenge ....................................................................................................................................... 46 v TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1 – the opening section of Super Mario Brothers’ first level .............................................. 5 Figure 2 – a Goomba enemy from Super Mario Bros. ................................................................... 6 Figure 3 – this pipe cannot be passed unless the player holds the jump button to jump higher. .... 7 Figure 4 – the “disappearing block” section of the Magnet Man level in Mega Man 3 ................. 8 Figure 5 – the final “disappearing block” puzzle in Magnet Man’s stage ...................................... 9 Figure 6 – Ocarina of Time’s opening area, Kokiri